Almost but not Quite
by eostellary
Summary: Cross-posted in AO3. Shikadai is perceptive but still very innocent and brings up the birds and bees topic. ShikaTema centric though. Oneshot!


"Sh-Sh..."

The utterance of his name suddenly drowned in the heat of the moment as the rolling of her hips slacked due to the overwhelming pleasure coursing through her body. Her head rolled back and a lustful moan escaped her lips, back arching as she felt an intense heat boiling at the center of her belly. The kunoichi's delicate hands locked behind her lover's neck, dragging his body down to her. She always liked it whenever they were as close as possible when they simultaneously reached their peak.

His head found its niche in the crook of her neck and his cheek rested against her shoulders. She could feel his ragged breaths hitting her skin every so often along with the vibrations brought about by his quieter groans. Their bed rocked in synch with their movements, the walls of their room reverberating each sound back to her sensitive ears. Temari can just feel that she won't be taking much longer to climax.

And as if taking advantage of the unspoken fact, Shikamaru picked his pace up, the smug bastard that he was. For all his laziness, sex was one of the few things he seemed to have unlimited energy for. Not that she was complaining.

"Ah, ah! S-shika… Can't…I—oh! Kimochi ii!"

Temari could feel his smirk grow against the skin of her neck but she couldn't pay much attention to it as her back began to arch, her toes curling. Even with her walls clamping down around him, his pace never wavered. The rush was all too stimulating that she climaxed before him, letting out an indulgent string of moans that seemed to escalate in pitch as the moment prolonged. Her nails dug into his broad back, undoubtedly leaving another set of marks to join the ones that were already there and replacing the ones that have already faded.

When the heat in her belly didn't quell, she realized that Shikamaru was still moving against her as he chased after his own orgasm. Temari couldn't help but let her mouth fall slack as strangled cries escaped her lips. One more; he wanted her to fall apart one more time. For a moment, she wondered if she could give what he wordlessly asked of her. With the length of their lovemaking spanning the whole afternoon that day, she was sure she was already milked dry. It was one of the few days when they both didn't have to work and had the house all to themselves. They had to take advantage of that naturally.

She was pulled from her reverie when he changed the angle of how they connected and her eyes squeezed shut at the heightened intensity of it all. With one of her senses blocked out, she felt more of him and his movements, his speed and _depth,_ as he thoroughly filled her perfectly thrust after thrust. It didn't take her long to feel that familiar blaze underneath her skin that made her insides whirl in an almost painfully pleasurable way. It was truly an addicting sensation.

Her instinct told her to grit her teeth and clench her jaw hard as she approached her climax once more (she had lost count of how many she had already), but the urge to scream out was far too difficult to ignore so she merely listened to what her body ached to do more. Temari's pleasured wails and cries filled their bedroom once more and she couldn't care less if the whole of Konohagakure heard her. She couldn't bring herself to cease as she was far too lost in the oblivion of hers and her husband's lovemaking.

Much as she loved and hated it at the same time, her husband couldn't stop moving until he had spilled the last of his seed in her. Temari remained at the mercy of his motion, only able to cry out in incoherent utterances how she felt about the whole thing. Soon, she was a mixture of a panting, moaning, and wailing woman in danger of blacking out. And she did.

It wasn't a frequent occurrence but it certainly wasn't rare one, too, especially after an afternoon's worth of catering to their carnal desires. She was bound to pass out at one point or another. Sometimes it was just a few seconds but sometimes it turned to hours, depending on what they had gotten up to in the hours prior.

"H-how long…?" she asked, irrevocably breathless. Even thinking about moving a muscle seemed too _t_ _roublesome_ for her.

"Just a few seconds this time," he half-smirked and half-smiled, equally breathless. _Damn Nara._ _How can he speak coherently after all of that?_ Then again, he did stress that this afternoon was all about _her._ Smug, sexy, pain in the ass.

Temari shivered as he carefully slid out of her, closing her eyes and regaining her breath. Majority of their sheets were wet with their sweat and other bodily fluids but she could not bring herself to be repulsed by them as the urge to take a short nap took over.

"Tired, Woman?" he asked, tugging the sheets from under her slowly. It would be too troublesome if they rested against damp sheets. The naked mattress was a much better alternative.

"Hn." It was all she could reply before clocking out.

"Tch…troublesome woman," Shikamaru said endearingly before placing a tender kiss on her slightly parted lips. The Hokage-Advisor-in-training proceeded with the aftercare as his wife slept peacefully. He wiped her legs and the apex between them gingerly before he joined her on the bed and tugged on the blanket over the two of them. It didn't take him long before he joined her in slumber.

* * *

"Kaa-chan? Oyaji?"

Shikamaru's eyes opened as he heard their son groan from where he stood in the doorway of his and his wife's bedroom. As far as he was concerned, they weren't revealing anything, at least from where Shikadai stood peering into the room. They really needed to have some sort of warning sign so their poor son wouldn't keep on walking in on them. Thankfully, he only managed to walk in on them post-sex so far but their luck can only serve them so well.

"We'll be down in a moment, little fawn. Go wait in the living room for now. I charged your video game device for you."

He didn't need to look at Shikadai to know his eyes sparkled at the prospect of playing his game. They regulate his usage of the gadget so that he could actually be lucrative in his shinobi training. The child had inherited quite an amount of his laziness; he didn't want the heir of the Nara clan to not achieve his full potential as future clan head and asset of Konohagakure.

The sound of small feet padding on the floors was the confirmation Shikamaru needed before he placed a kiss on Temari's shoulder. His wife stirred at the small gesture and he heard her stomach slightly grumble afterwards, making him chuckle.

"Was that my subconscious playing with me or was Dai-chan here just a moment ago?"

"He peered in but nothing more. I sent him downstairs to play while we get ourselves decent."

"What time is it?" she asked, rolling to her side to snuggle against his muscular chest. The feel of her bare, shapely breasts against his naked skin almost sent him to take her once more but their child was downstairs, waiting for them and for dinner to start.

"A few minutes short of six in the evening. We only napped for half an hour," he said, feeling a bit cheated. After such great work that afternoon, he half-expected to be asleep till the wee hours of the morning but becoming parents altered a bit of his napping times.

"What's the point of putting my yukata on if you aren't even going to tie it?" she asked playfully

"Hey, I get tired too, you know."

"Well, I certainly didn't feel that this afternoon." He watched as Temari straddled him, a slightly frisky look on her face. Shikamaru could only close his eyes as she leaned down to give him another indulgent kiss. "I'd have to thank you properly, you crybaby."

He was about to retort a smart and teasing answer before his own stomach grumbled. What can he say? Their afternoon activities took much of their energy like an S-rank mission would. "Maybe we should hold that thought for another time, Woman."

They rolled away from each other and fastened their respective yukatas, not bothering to put undergarments. He doubted they would get to lovemaking again tonight but he knew they both felt it was a troublesome thing to do at the moment.

The couple made their way downstairs and found their son wholly focused on his game with quite an intense look on his face. Yes, sometimes he was the splitting image of his father in terms of general habits and laziness but it was also evident that Temari's genes showed up half the time as well. The child merely grumbled a reply when his mother made it known that dinner would be served soon.

He saw his wife shake her head with a slight roll of her beautiful eyes before he was dragged into the kitchen with her to help her make food for them that night. Like a well-oiled machine, the pair of them worked in synch even on mundane processes such as making dinner.

While their friends joke amongst themselves that there were never more intense battles such as the Nara marital spats, they have to admit that that is simply how they show affection and they can never imagine another person more perfect for either of them.

"Shikadai, come to the table now," Temari called out to their son who quickly shut off his game and walked to the kitchen. Shikamaru smirked slightly as he noted how the sound of his mother's voice spurns his son into action. After all, neither of the Nara males would like to knowingly fuel the wrath of the cruelest kunoichi to ever live.

The male shinobi stifled a chuckle when his son pulled off his hair tie and let his own hair down when he spotted his parents' hairs free from their usual constraints. No doubt, he wanted to be like them as much as possible and the thought sent a warm tickle in his chest. Shikadai was at the crossroads of being a child and becoming a shinobi but he still was endearing in almost every way.

"Itadakimasu," the family of three clapped before they dug into their rice, steamed vegetables, and honey-glazed fried pork cutlets.

Dinner was usually a quiet affair for the Nara family, and this night was like any other night. Their food continuously disappeared from their respective diningware and Shikamaru actually believed that their supper would go by without a hitch. There would be times when their son would bring up a topic for them to discuss, mostly about shinobi life but there were also awkward or questions that don't necessarily spell comfort for the couple. Unbeknownst to the patriarch, this night was actually one of them.

"You guys don't have to try so hard, you know."

Shikamaru blinked at what his son said, partly surprised but mostly confused at how Shikadai phrased it. A quick glance to his right and he knew Temari was in the same predicament as he was. Sensing that she wouldn't be probing into their son's words, he did it for both of them.

"Huh? We're going to need a little more explanation, little fawn."

"I meant you don't have to try so hard in giving me a sibling."

He didn't know what his face looked like at the moment but he was so very sure that it wasn't schooled in his usual, nonchalant facial expression. His wife beside him wasn't doing much better. Shikamaru opened and closed his mouth a few times like a gaping fish, unable to form words to reply to Shikadai's statement. Their son must have sensed their surprise and decided to further elaborate on his point.

"It's not that I won't appreciate it or that I don't appreciate your efforts but you seem to be wearing yourselves out. And my friends and I talked about it, how babies are made after Inojin learned from Sai-Ojisan told him, and I guess that is what you guys do too, on many days of the week… I don't really know how it works step by step but I sort of have a general idea of it and I think it makes you two tired. Especially Kaa-chan… You don't have to do that for me, y'know."

Wait…friends? That's what their son and his friends talk about? Not about the video games they always seem to huddle over? Not over the pretty girls in their academy or even attempts to skip out on class for a few R&R's? Shikadai and his friends talk about babymaking? Shikamaru found the whole thing to be entertaining. At least they didn't have to have the talk with him after all.

"Well, kiddo. What makes you think we're doing it for you?" he crossed his arms with a smirk on his face before he felt a strong punch to his arm. Shikamaru rubbed the sore spot and dared to look at Temari. Her face was a mixture of horror, rage, and possibly disbelief that he could ask their innocent son such a thing. For all her scandalized emotions, she still couldn't bring herself to say anything.

As if sympathizing with his father, Shikadai leaned back on his chair and put his hands behind his head. "It's okay, Oyaji. You don't have to make me feel better about it. It's okay, really. Just take your time."

The hokage-advisor-in-training let out a small laugh before shaking his head. Everything in his mind clicked but he couldn't just bring it up for fear that Shikadai might ask for further details and while it was certainly entertaining, he wasn't feeling up to it to discuss sex and babymaking over what was left of their dinner. Also, he'd want Shikadai to stay as innocent as possible. It seemed that their son figured that the only reason for sex was to give him a sibling. It was too pure for his liking that he couldn't stop laughing.

"Shikamaru!" Temari said in exasperation, a hand going to shield her blushing face. At the moment, she couldn't even look her son in the eye. How many times…? When…? When did he figure it all out and how many times had he actually caught them doing it? Oh, Kami. It was one of the very few moments when she literally wanted the ground to swallow her whole. Her own darling, little, innocent baby even remarked that she was always so tired after!

It took a while before Shikamaru regained his composure and decreased his laughing into chortles. "Where…how…did you know about this again?"

Huffing in annoyance, Shikadai crossed his arms. " _I already told you, Oyaji_. Inojin told us about it when he asked Sai-Ojisan about it. Ino-Obasan was thinking of having another baby, I think. Boruto said that Naruto-Ojisan and Hinata-Obasan were the same before they told him they were going to have Himawari."

Shikamaru shook his head in slight disbelief but he wasn't totally surprised. Leave it to Sai to be extremely truthful about everything. Yet, he was grateful that the former Root ANBU ninja left out other details regarding sex aside for the fact that it was crucial for babymaking. To his right, he saw Temari sigh in defeat, the blush on her cheeks seeming to never fade.

"I see. And you think we are doing the same, hm? I can't blame you for that logic, little fawn."

"Well, I'm not in a hurry so you don't need to rush things. A baby brother or sister would be nice but it's okay if it doesn't happen soon," Shikadai said, finishing his food and bringing his set of diningware to the kitchen sink. "Besides, I keep hearing Kaa-chan getting hurt from it and that can't be good, can it? Gochisousama, Kaa-chan, Oyaji. Oyasumi."

The couple could only watch as their son bowed politely before disappearing upstairs. Shikamaru couldn't hold his laughter back once more and he doubled over in his chair for a few moments before he stood and cleared the table for them. He laid a reassuring hand on his wife's shoulder and patted it lightly.

"It's—"

"Don't think for one second to tell me this is okay, Shikamaru!" she said in exasperation still, sinking further down her seat. Temari's blush had intensified to match the colour of the yukata she was wearing. "Clearly…clearly he's…! Oh, Kami-sama."

The Nara clan head could only offer sympathies to his wife as she looked like she just wanted to die right at that moment, which was such a very rare sight to behold from the usually fearsome and generally fearless Sand princess. "Look at the bright side, though. It looks like he doesn't know all the ins and outs of the… _process_ …just yet so I think his innocence is still fairly intact."

"That doesn't make it any better," she grumbled.

The wind user groaned loudly and hid her face with her arms as they rested on the table. She still can't believe what had transpired for the last few minutes of their dinner, how their child must have heard her and her husband from having sex far too many times to count. Temari just can't wrap her head around the fact that the dissipation of her baby's innocence might just be because of her. After all, she was the one Shikadai had _heard_.

"I'm going to bed," the Suna princess said after her husband troubled himself with the dishes.

* * *

Temari had gone into their bedroom hoping she could clear her mind of what had just happened over dinner. However, popping into the shower for a quick wash only let her mind wander further. Just how many times had they done it in the middle of the night thinking that Shikadai was asleep only to have herself indulge far too much and cry out not too loudly but loud enough to wake their sleeping baby?

Maybe taking a shower wasn't the solution. And so, she picked fresh sheets from their stash and fitted them snugly on their bed before discarding the soiled sheets. Clearly, it wasn't the best thing to do either, since the aroma of their dried oneness hit her nose, sending a warm sensation to build in between her legs. "Damn it. Not now," she said to herself in a whisper.

Huffing in defeat, Temari merely crawled into bed and pulled the sheets on top of her. She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep but sleep won't come to her no matter how still she stayed on the bed while keeping her eyes closed. The wind kunoichi vaguely heard the shower run once more but it was the dip on the mattress that made her blink her eyes open.

"Don't touch me," she whispered into the dark as she felt her husband creep slowly towards her.

"What—? What did I do this time?" Shikamaru asked, confused. Surely she couldn't blame what had happened over dinner on him? Okay, maybe he found it far too entertaining and had laughed a little too much but…surely that wasn't enough for her to be mad at him?

"Nothing. I just don't want to be touched right now."

"Well that's a stark difference from this afternoon," he hummed with a smirk.

"Shut up, Nara." A blush formed on her cheeks again and she felt the heat crawl from her face to her neck. She was sure Shikamaru knew about it.

Thankfully, Shikamaru let her be and it was hard to stay distant when he had not done anything wrong. Sighing in defeat for what seemed like the tenth time that evening, Temari shifted and turned on the bed before snuggling closer to her husband, legs wrapping around his and arms wrapping around his muscular form. Her head laid itself home on his firm chest.

"It's going to take some time before I get comfortable having sex in our own house again."

"That's okay. We have the whole Nara forest to take advantage of. I doubt the deer will be disturbed since they hear you from here anyways." Shikamaru chuckled as he felt a sharp slap to his chest. "Worth it."

A comfortable silence reigned over the couple before Temari asked the question that has been weighing on her mind ever since Shikadai mentioned it in passing this evening. The Suna princess cleared her throat and looked up at her husband in the darkness. She could make out his handsome features with the help of the moonlight and she blushed again lightly, thinking how lucky she must be to have Konoha's top and handsomest strategist cuddle with her anytime she liked.

"I have a question…about the Ino-Shika-Cho thing…"

"I have a feeling about what it is already but go on…"

"Well, if Ino decides to get pregnant again, is it customary for us and the Akimichi's to follow suit? That's what happened when Karui got pregnant first, right? Our clans have a sworn pact, after all."

She remembers that moment very vividly as if it was just yesterday. Karui had invited them to their home over dinner and it was already pretty curious when she started serving food even when it was only her and Shikamaru and Sai and Ino present. She had suspected that the invitation stretched to all their friends but the feeling of dread dawned upon her when the first dish was set on the table. And her dread was correct.

It wasn't that she didn't want to have children, no. She and Shikamaru have already talked about starting a family after their engagement and before they had wed. She just felt that she wanted one more year of childless marriage before they got on to creating 1/3 of the famed Ino-Shika-Cho. But Karui had to get the party started.

Then again, Temari couldn't regret that since it brought them Shikadai. Even if it took him quite a long time to do so. Honestly, even in birth, the Nara men were lazy. She _only_ had to go through labor for 37 grueling hours, no pressure. (Their female friends had wanted to give her a plaque for longest labor, much to her annoyance.)

"That is what I am going to do first thing in the morning tomorrow. I must search the family archives for it since from what I could remember, there were only one Ino-Shika-Cho per generation. But that was mostly owing to us being single-born."

"I-I see…" she trailed off, not exactly knowing what to feel.

"Hm? You sound a bit disappointed."

"I am not. I'm just thinking…"

"Do you want another baby?" he queried, asking the question that even Temari asked herself in silence.

"I'm not opposed to it. If it happens, it does. If it doesn't…" the kunoichi trailed off once more before she listened to what she was saying. "Iie. I want another baby. Sure of it."

In the dark, Shikamaru grinned and even though Temari could not see it, she knew he was smiling widely. "I think I want another one too. Besides, you have to admit. We make cute babies."

"Mm…Dai-chan's really adorable," she smiled against his chest. "I hope we get a girl this time, if only to balance everything out."

"Well, what if it's another boy?"

"I'll love him all the same. Maybe…it's just…I always imagined myself with a daughter, you know? I love Shikadai with all my heart and soul, no doubt. It's just—"

"You want to feel closer to your own mother, yes?" he asked gently.

"I suppose that's one way of putting it."

"So let me clarify… You'll be willing to bear a lot of males as long as you get a daughter?"

The question made Temari purse her lips and remember all the _downs_ of pregnancy, labour, and delivery. Constant back aches, swollen feet, craving for Suna food that aren't always readily available, mood swings, crying bouts, feeling her insides being twisted for 37 hours, feeling herself being split open when pushing…

"Maybe not…" she groaned as if reliving her pains. "Four, at most."

"Four?"

"Y-yeah… Well, my siblings and I are three but I feel that it's still a bit lacking… So I think four kids will be nice…" she said, a little abashed.

"Eh, I suppose that's doable. I guess it's one of the perks of marrying young. I mean, we won't be too old for when our children grow up," he mused with a shrug.

Temari chuckled and nodded. "Won't it be too troublesome for you?" she chided playfully.

"Never. You, Shikadai, our future children… You're always and will always be worth the trouble."


End file.
